PICKLEBALL INSTRUCTION
The
for Beginners
BY STEPHANIE LANE
The Dink
When and Where to Lob
To be a successful lobber from the
kitchen line, one of the most important
aspects to focus on is your ability to
disguise the shot. You need to dink the
ball and lob the ball with the exact same
smooth pendulum motion. By keeping both
shots looking exactly the same, you can
catch your opponents off guard when they
are expecting a dink shot.
When you’re dinking the ball back and
forth with your opponents, and you see an
opportunity for a lob, simply hit your dink
shot with a longer, stronger, and higher
follow-through. Your opponents will often
assume you’re hitting a dink because
of your motion, but your longer, higher
follow-through will create a lob and force a
defensive reaction.
Recognize Strengths and
Weakness
In order to decide when and where to lob,
it’s important to know the strengths and
weaknesses of a team.
Mixed Doubles Strategy
The Lob
Paddletek Pro Player Stephanie Lane is a three-time
National Champion, a US Open gold medalist and an IPTPA
certified regional director. Pickleball has become a passion
for Stephanie. She was first introduced to the sport in the
late 1980s, when players used wooden paddles. In 2011, she
rediscovered the game and has been playing in tournaments
around the country ever since.
The general strategy is to lob over the
weaker player’s backhand overhead. From
the right/forehand side of the court, I have
found the best opportunity to lob is when
the male’s backhand is down the middle
and the female is in front of me. I generally
lob deep to her side of the court or down
the middle.
When I’m on the left/backhand side of
the court, the whole point is to dink and
move my opponents around until I see an
opening. If I see one of my opponents off
the court, that’s a great time to lob over
their backhand. •
WATCH THE VIDEO
MARCH/APRIL 2019 |
MAGAZINE
29